The Kill Zone True Blood: Season 7---Episode 9
by Carroll E. Stewart
Summary: Promises have been made and broken! Dirty deals and dirty deeds rule the night! Mr. Gus believes that with this Sookie Stackhouse he can control Eric. What Mr. Gus does not understand is that only Sookie Stackhouse can control Eric Northman.


**The Kill Zone**

**The characters of True Blood belong to Alan Ball. The SVM characters belong to Miss Charlene Harris. I do not have a BETA, editor, or other such charming person. All mistakes and fuckery are my own. I am not claiming anyone else's.**

The Kill Zone

My name is Eric Northman. I am over a thousand years old. I am a vampire with a thousand plus years of being sneaky, scheming, secretive and calculating. I am underhanded, Machiavellian, cunning and crafty. I am also a damn fine actor. I studied with Konstantin Sergeievich Stanislavski. Yes, you think that is a mouthful...try saying that with a mouthful of marbles. Distinctively...so that the most discerning Russian ear can understand you.

I am also smart. I am capable of learning from my mistakes. I am also capable of learning from yours. I am always thinking. I was playing chess when I was human. I still do and I live my undead life by thinking ten jumps ahead of my opponent. Just like I did when I was human.

I adapt. I survive. I am the perfect killing machine. I am Viking!

These New Blood cocksuckers that are down here in the basement with me now, threatening my child, wanting to know about Sookie! They should know better! If they knew these warrior things about me, then they have forgotten them. They are the enemy and they have now stepped into my kill zone. My favorite place of ambush is in small confined spaces. Not unlike the basement of _Fangtasia._ I am Viking! I learned to kill with my sword, knife, and bare hands! Face to face, my enemies breath hot upon my neck as I watched the life drain from their eyes.

To my friends, my word is my bond.

The enemy..._I am laughing my ass off_. Mr. Gus and I, we became enemies when I saw he had bound my child with silver. We became sworn enemies when he asked about Sookie. Mr. Gus...and he is trying to play on my honor...laughable.

_True to my word my ass_ with this cocksucker. When faced with your enemy as a Viking, my job is to cheat, lie, steal, confuse and kill. Never give them the advantage. Make the most of every situation, the smallest of mistakes or the soundest of strategies. As a Viking, my purpose is to kill my enemy.

Oh, he is yammering on about Sookie. Time for this shit to stop.

There was the sound of bodies hitting the floor. The sound of guns and swords clanging on the bare cement as well. Pam felt the silver being lifted from her body. Eric had Mr. Gus dangling from his left hand, high above his head.

"Time to do some business, Child," he smiled at her. "Ginger is upstairs. Feed from her, or the cure, I care not. But we need all these cocksuckers' phones. After you heal, please, move these bodies to the walk-in freezer and get Ginger to bleach it all down. Then I am going to need you with me.

Mr. Gus," Eric shook him around a bit. "Time for a little business. I do so love dealing with the Japanese."

Eric smiled at him. "You think you have contacts in your government? Just wait until you see who is on my payroll. I have been doing business with your countrymen for over seven hundred years. The money _you_," he snickered, "bring to the table is nothing compared to mine."

Eric sat in his office, scrolling through Gus's contact list and then calling them. In perfect Japanese, and depending on whom he was talking, too, sometimes he sounded exactly like Mr. Gus.

From time to time Eric would look over at Gus, who was gagged and tied to a chair and wink.

After hanging up the phone, Eric put his feet up on his desk and sat back. "Your father made the mistake of coming after me. He gloated about how he had the backing of The Authority and other such bullshit so he felt safe in threatening my child. Making me choose between Pam and the woman I was with at the time.

He had my lover at the time, killed, not being man enough to do it himself.

That was a very bad mistake and put your family on my to be killed radar. Maybe not right away, because time means nothing to me.

My maker," Eric smiled, "was over two thousand years old. People I did not know, my Godric, he did. You should have never come to the new world," Eric chuckled. "You should have stayed at home and left me," his fangs popped down, "the fuck alone.

Pamela, how goes the bookkeeping?" he asked, smiling at his child as her fingers flew across the top of her laptop.

"We have it all, Eric. I have disengaged the backdoor traps and now overrode all his security systems into and out of his accounts. Clever, but not that clever," she rolled her eyes.

"Just who the fuck," she made a gagging sound at Mr. Gus with a disgusted face, "do you think bankrolled the technology corridor? Eric saw that comin' durin' World War II when the code breakers got busy. We have a backdoor into everythin'. Eric likes to play nice and just let the humans figure it all out. But piss him off," she chuckled, "well, one or two have and you can see who is still standin'.

Now we fuckin' own New Blood. And Eric will decide just how the formula is to be mixed. My maker already has so much fuckin' money..." shrugging she continued on, "the boss man will decide and act accordingly. The complete cure to be bottled and sold or no."

Eric's phone chimed. Sookie's home number. "He is yours Pam," he said with a nod of his head. "I want him dead before sunrise. I need to take this," his voice was low and even as he hit talk and walked out of the building.

He did not even need to place the phone next to his ear. He could hear her weeping. "Sookie, I'll be right there," was all he said as he took to the sky.

Pam smiled at Mr. Gus. "Eric says the nice thing about dealin' with assholes, is that nobody comes lookin' for you when you go missin'. Your comrades in arms, they just all bow down and worship the new guy and his money that walks in and takes your place.

Oh-h-h dear, poor Mr. Gus. From the look on your face, I see that you know this to be true," she said patting his cheek. "Now, what would be the human equivalent of you dropping that wooden stake through my heart? Hmmm. Oh," she smiled, "I like this newer, more sympathetic version of me. Choices...your death can now be all about choices. And I have some good ones."

Sookie had done the favor for Eric. She had sat and listened to Bill. That was hours of her life she would never get back. Her x was earnest and forthcoming and seemed to have her best interest at heart. Of course, when she had dated him, Bill had been earnest and forthcoming and had only Sophie-Anne's best interest at heart. Their relationship had been based on lies. Once Bill knew she loved him, he gave some of that love, maybe you could call it that, back to her. But it was not until he was sure of her.

Eric...

Eric was what upset the cart. Arrogant, sweet. Killer, soft hearted. Funny, exasperating and...and...

"Well fuck," she sighed, wiping at her eyes. "He has spent a thousand years side-steppin' the grim reaper...and here Bill wants to plunge the scythe through his own neck and end it all so that what? I can be happy? He is endin' his life so I can be happy? And I am not suppose to feel some type of guilt about that? He has ended it with Jess so I am to be what? His legacy of sorrow and pain?

Fuck...when was the last time I was happy?" Wiping her eyes and blowing her nose on a tissue, she put herself back together.

"I was happy when I had Eric livin' here with me.

When was I happy when I was with Bill? The very beginning of the relationship? When he was so cordial and Southern...when he was suppose to carry me off to New Orleans?

Reality set in..._it had all been a lie_!

"What fucked up shit," she seethed.

There was a knock at her door.

Smiling at Eric through the glass she opened the door and motioned him on in with her head.

"Talked with Bill," she gave him a small smile and blew out a lot of air. "Now, if you would not mind, I'd like to ask you some questions."

"Of course, Sookie," he smiled. "Tell me what's on your mind."

"Please come on in and sit down with me on the couch. I have some hard observations and thoughts about myself. And Eric, you," she stressed, "are the only one who is honest with me."

"I get nowhere by lying to you, Sookie."

"I know," she shook her head. "And Bill did a lot of lying to me," she sighed. "And I believed him."

Eric nodded in agreement.

"I fell I love with the first guy I fucked. Believin' every word he said."

Eric nodded again.

"By the time you came running down my street, I thought I had some shit figured out," she said scratching her head. "But you livin' with me changed all that."

Eric's eyes grew soft. He was so beautiful...there was nothing dark about him. Especially his soul which at this moment she was privileged to see.

"Bill said that you two were drawn to my light and I was drawn to your dark.

No," she shook her head. "That dark that he referenced, that was not what attracted me. I wanted to meet a vampire. I was raised lovin' history. And vampires had lived history. Gran was so excited to meet Bill. Wantin' to know all about the war. And me, too.

Then, your minds were silent and I loved that. Actually being with someone and having the quiet, too. That was what normal people did. Enjoyed the quiet and company of others.

Then, when Bill escorted me to _Fangtasia_, he told me you were the oldest vampire there in the bar. I was curious about what you had seen and whom you had known. Like a livin' history book. You were an arrogant ass but," she just shrugged. "There are lots of folks here in Bon Temps who are arrogant assess as well.

Those things being said, I just don't see how that figures as me bein' drawn to the dark in you.

So Eric, please, what did you see the first time I came to _Fangtasia_? Some all glowing, smell good fae? A great big fae light?"

"No," there was a small smile on his face. "Not that kind of light. But you lit up the night in that sundress you were wearing. So different from the fangbangers. So clean and pure. And you were so determined. And fearless. You had walked into the kill zone and you did not care. Your fortitude and your willingness to right a wrong, it reminded me of the women in my village. They all carried some type of weapon and knew how to use it to their advantage. They would not wait for a male to defend their honor, not when they were more than capable.

That night in the bar, Bill was content to stand behind you, just in case I decided to end you on the spot as he tried to talk you out of your questioning."

"Yes, Bill does like to make decisions for me," she let out a low laugh then became serious, again.

Eric was thoughtful. "I was drawn to you because of your courage...and what I could only imagine to be a smokin' hot body under that dress and could I possibly fuck you before you left for the evening."

"Always honest," Sookie shook her head and suppressed a grin as she reached over and pinched him.

"Yes," Eric replied. "When it comes to you, yes. I would not lie to you. Smokin' hot still!" he grinned.

"Eric," she elbowed him. "Stop it. I need to talk."

"Of course," he became serious again.

"You are the only reason why I talked with Bill tonight. Because _you_ asked me too. So I sat through that _martyr me_ session. I think at one point my ears were bleedin'," she sighed.

Sookie took Eric's hand.

"Bill stared off with how great and noble he was and how nice you were and then he told me he told you about the dream and his reasonin' for dyin'. So, if you could listen to him, he stressed, a vampire who was important, had a lot going on, etc., well then, with my small life, so could I. So," her face was void of emotion. "I listened while Bill talked. I tried listen' with my heart and an open mind. Bill told me about his fever dream. Me sittin' and rockin' a baby that was just a black void. Death."

Rolling her eyes and making a face she hissed, "That is his sickened idea of me! Yes, so maybe the fevers are finally showin' him what he has thought of me all along. Which is not much. He knows what he has done to me...intended to do to me.

So he sees my future as death," she laughed. "Really? Well, even I can see why he would. I should have been a drained tasty snack for Sophie-Anne. How dare I still be alive!

Well fuck him!" she spit out. "That is not my idea of me," she said with surety.

She was watching Eric's face. He seemed to be in neutral. He was keeping something back, for sure. Bill had told Eric about the dream and it had struck a chord with him. This would have been the reason why Eric would have agreed to talk to her for Bill.

"You have the fever dreams?" she leaned in closer to him.

"Yes," Eric replied. "I did."

"What did you dream about?" she asked him.

"You," he replied.

"So, was death stalking me?"

"No," Eric shook his head.

Running her hand down the side of his face, she watched as his eyes changed color. They had done that when she had found running down her road and he was so lost. They had sat wrapped in that blanket and he had been scared of all those things that he did not know. "Eric, why did you agree to talk to me for Bill? I am just having a problem wrapping my head around that. That just seems so out of character for you." Squeezing his hand she said, her voice soft. "It was because of the dreams..." and her voice trailed off as he nodded.

Eric's voice was thoughtful. "Bill told me about how he could see you there, rocking a baby. It was the same dream I would have. Oh fuck," Eric got out in a low sigh. "Only, clearly in my dream, it was our baby. Babies," he smiled. "Twins. And I was holding an older child, our son.

Then Bill started talking about how we were drawn to your light and you to our dark..."

"And you believed him?" Sookie's voice was incredulous. "Really? Eric Northman, you fell for that? The oldest trick in the book. The old vampire mine, mine, mine. I cannot have her, so you cannot either...! Really!"

Eric had the good grace to look a little sheepish. "I want you to be happy, Sookie."

"And yes, I want to be happy! It has taken me a time and a bit to get here, but I know..." she stopped. "I love Bill, Eric. There is a part of me that always will, I guess. Just like I love Arlene, Tara, Jess..." she sighed. Sitting up straighter, she continued on. "But I am not in love with him. And I understand that difference, now," she kissed his hand. "I know that I am in love with you," her eyes held his.

"My grandfather Niall, he told me that Bill was not for me. And that he would not use his fae power to heal him. That love, life, and death is a gift.

Life is a gift, Eric. And ours to embrace. Humans have gone through overwhelming odds and sometimes crawled away from an accident, because that was all they are able to do. Just crawl. Because their legs had to be left behind to survive.

And Bill wants to die. Well, I have come to terms with that. I asked him not too. There is nothing more that I can do because it is his decision. Is there anything more that you can do to convince him?"

"No," Eric replied slowly as he picked up her hand and kissed it.

"Eric," she drew her hand back. "What are you doin'? You know I am infected."

"Yes," he nodded, "and so am I."

"What?" Sookie sat up straighter. "What the fuck? What happened?"

"On some level, what Bill said resonated within me. That you deserved happiness and that you were not going to find it with me. So, I lied to Ginger, told her I was now immune and drank from her. I was going to kiss you one last time...and maybe if I was charming enough, you would have sex with me. One last time."

There was a pissed off Sookie! "Oh...fuck...me..!" she hissed. "You get your ass to _Fangtasia_ and you take the cure then you get your ass back here to me. I am going across the cemetery and having a discussion with Mr. Compton. If he wants to die, he can just do so, tonight, before his fucked up shit gets in anyone else's way."

"Sookie..."

"Eric Northman..." she pulled him down and her hungry mouth worked him over. Pushing him back, with her hands on her hips she spewed out, "You take the fucking cure...then get your ass back here. Then I am calling Niall and he is going to fucking cure me.

I mean it," she said pushing him up off the couch. "Right this fucking minute before I revoke your invitation."

Sookie stood and took his hand, still angry but under control. "Come on, walk with me out. In thirty minutes, I expect you back here in the rosy glow of health. You ever snack from someone with HepV, again, I am staking your ass. I am done with this fucked up shit!

Just like I am done with Bill Compton. That cocksucking, lying bastard. He told everybody and his dead brother about me. Whisperin' my name to Sophie-Anee. Leavin' clues around. Where I live. Where I work. Relatives. I swear, if you had not staked Russell..."

"Sookie?" Eric stepped in closer as the pieces fell into place. "He has not stopped being that cocksucker. He has played us lover. He wants me dead."

"His ass is mine," Sookie hissed looking out into the night towards the Compton mansion.

"Billy Boy," Eric grinned, "welcome to the kill zone."

"Who is there?" Sookie heard Bill's voice call out.

"It's me, Sookie," she said stepping out of the shadows.

"Sookie," he managed a smile as he stood up out of his chair on the porch. "So good of you to come callin'. It is a little late, though, and there are still Heppers out roamin'."

"I was talkin' with Eric," Sookie began as she climbed up the steps. "He'll be back before the first rays of the sun and stayin' the rest of my days."

"Oh," Bill said in surprise and then forced a smile. "Well, if Eric is what makes you happy," his weak voice countered. "I mean, he will always be at risk around you. You two will have to be very careful. After all, you have already infected one man that you loved."

"Well yes," Sookie smiled. "Yes, Eric will be careful. He is gonna' have to wear a condom. And no bitin'! And that makes me happy.

And yes I have infected one vampire. And oddly, that makes me happy. And I am just back to the fact that Dr. Ludwig said it was not because of me that this is spreadin' so quickly through your body. She cited a full fae/vampire relationship that she knows about. So somethin' more has to be helpin' you along. Just what that is I have no idea.

And you know what? You bein' finally dead makes me happy as well. I have come to terms with that. So much so, in fact, that I think the best thing for you to do is just greet the sun right out there in the yard. That way, there is no goo mess to clean up. No one gets infected."

"Sookie," he drew back. "You don't mean that..."

"Yes Bill, I do. Why live out your last minutes in agony? Just get it over with. You are goin' to die. Just do us all a favor and don't leave a mess in the house.

Unless, of course, you have no intentions of dyin'. You and Mr. Gus work some type of deal? You have some of the cure in your fridge? You take a hit of the virus, then maybe a hit of the cure? You just waitin' on Eric to feel all guilty and die by your example?"

"Sookie, Sookie, Sookie," Bill managed a wan smile. "You must be hell at workin' puzzles. And although I am at death's door, I am not dead yet. And I am still stronger, faster, and just a tad bit smarter than you."

"Is that a fact?" she grinned.

Bill was laughing. "You comin' over here in the middle of the night. No one knowin' where you are. When asked, I will tell who ever that the last time I saw you was when I came callin'. Eric will back me up on that. He loves you, that poor fool. It will be for the best for him to be out of his misery. I am payin' Mr. Gus a handsome amount to do that.

I warned Gus about how Eric would lie about you. We both came to an agreement that I can just as easily be the face of the cure. I am very photogenic.

And as HepV positive, Sookie, you are useless to vampire. Therefore a liability. And humans are for us to feed, upon. And you have been tainted."

That sly smiled that Sookie had seen once or twice on Bill's face was back.

"I have so enjoyed feeding on you. Such sweetness."

"You dream of Hell, Bill?" she asked him.

When he blinked, she knew he did. She saw the horror in his eyes.

"The darkness is in you Bill," she continued on. "Me rockin' death. Freud calls that projection. That is your future and you know it. Hell.

You have lived lyin', cheatin, stealin'. Murderin.' And enjoyin' it..revelin' in it. Wonderin' when it was gonna' roll around again. Always hidin' behind the mask of what you thought was proper."

"Dyin' out in the yard is a good idea," he smiled at her. "All I have to do is turn on the hose to clean up the mess that you will leave behind."

Bill stood and then felt himself flying out into the yard.

"You were right, as always, lover," Eric bowed his head to her as he took her hand and they walked out into the yard to a crumpled up Bill.

"Oh Bill," Eric's voice was just a tad bit contrite. "I could forgive you much, but not the betrayal of Sookie."

"Eric...I..."

"You want to die," Eric said hefting the sword. "I left this at Sookie's for her protection. This is a real beauty, Bill. It was not originally mine, but the craftsman who made it, was the same one who had made my Viking sword. You know, hand to hand combat when you stood eye to eye with your enemy to destroy him.

Do you know what a kill zone is Bill? As a soldier you should know. It is an ambush. And who ever walks into the ambush is just fucking dead."

There was panic in Bill's voice. "Eric...it was for your own good... for the good of us all...Sookie is death..."

There was passion in Eric's voice. "I love suffering the small death in her body. Damn," Eric grinned, "she can reap me any day. Dying with Sookie in my arms," he wiggled his eyebrows at her. "She can carry me off to Valhalla with her arms and legs wrapped around me as I bring her endless pleasure."

"Eric please, I have money," Bill was begging.

"Yes, but I have Sookie and you don't have a head attached to your body," Eric replied as he followed through with the final death stroke. Eric grabbed Sookie and jumped back as Bill went to goo.

"Lover, we can now be off to Fangtasia. And oh...," he sighed. "if you see Ginger, she is going to tell you that we fucked."

"And..." she said with a come on movement of her hand.

"On my chair, I ripped her panties off, she screamed, jack-knifed backwards onto the floor and I just left her there whimpering. Didn't even get my pants unzipped."

"No more of that shit," she tweaked his nose.

"No ma'am," he replied as he picked her up and took off into the friendly skies.

Pam was having a very good evening. Eric had been here, taken the cure, and now she had her marching orders._ No_ twat-lips to the highest bidder. Well just fuck and fall backwards in it. Sarah was being moved to Japan where she would be studied and from her would come the cure for HepV in humans.

"_Because,"_ her maker had smiled, "_humans are the perfect food for vampire. And we like them spanky clean and free of disease_."

"No arguing with that," Pam sighed as she watched Newlin _being processed for shipment. _

Eric and Sookie had stopped off at Wal-Mart and purchased condoms. The biggest gun size in a box of 100. Woof! King Eric complained about the raincoat but then, he complained when he had to be tucked away inside of Eric's pants, when there was no breeze to excite him or they were lacking just regular old mayhem. King Eric assured her that he could gut anyone with a knife. It was such a delicious surprise and the kill zone was right there at his one eyed level. He never missed!

Somehow, she did not doubt that.

It had been a very good way to see out the old dark. Woof!

Sookie was watching the birds at the feeder. Eric was now in his day slumber and the time had come. Niall was knocking at her door and she had made hot chocolate. His favorite.

"Thank you Granddaughter," he smiled at her as he took the mug from her and licked the marshmallow with his tongue.

"So no to Bill," she grinned, "but yes to Eric."

Niall graced her with a genuine smile.

"Will you cure me please?" she asked.

"Of course," he bowed his head to her. "Is it unusual to have spaghetti for breakfast?" he asked.

"Not at all, come on to the kitchen and let's get started."

Hand in hand, they headed that way. Sookie was someday going to be a mom and he was going to be a great-grandfather and the Brigant line would continue! His grandchildren were all going to look like Erikr. But that was just fine. He knew him as human and a finer Viking had never lived. As vampire, he had watched Eric and he was just as deadly a bastard. And that was working for him as well. These babies were going to need a firm hand. Good thing Sookie was their mom; courageous, fearless and capable of saying no and meaning it.

His great grandbabies, he sighed, would be charming, precious and always wanting lots of hugs and kisses as they offered small tears for perhaps a wrong they had done. Niall smiled as he watched Sookie take out the pans. These wee ones were going to wrap their dad and great-grandpa around their little fingers. Oh, the joy of it all!

That was the future and there was no time to linger there at the moment.

Time to get started. His granddaughter needed the cure and he was just the prince of the realm to show her how it was to be done.


End file.
